Jury reaches verdict in trial of Michigan school shooter's father

James Crumbley, the father of the teenager who killed four students at a Michigan high school in 2021, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thursday, a month after the shooter’s mother was convicted of the same charges.

James Crumbley was convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, a charge that carries a maximum punishment of up to 15 years in prison, which would run concurrently.

Jury deliberations that concluded Thursday came more than two years after his son, Ethan Crumbley, then 15, used a SIG Sauer 9mm to kill four students and wound six others and a teacher at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.

James Crumbley is set to be sentenced on April 9 at 9 a.m., the judge said in court. His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, will be sentenced at the same date and time.

Final arguments: Prosecutors in closing arguments Wednesday said James Crumbley was “grossly negligent” because he bought the SIG Sauer 9mm gun for his son days before the attack, failed to properly secure it, ignored his son’s deteriorating mental health, and did not take “reasonable care” to prevent foreseeable danger.

In response, defense attorney Mariell Lehman asserted the prosecution’s case lacked evidence and was based on “assumptions and hindsight.”

“You heard no testimony and you saw no evidence that James had any knowledge that his son was a danger to anyone,” she said.

Testing the limits: The cases against the parents represented a test of the limits of who is responsible for a mass shooting. Prosecutors aiming to expand the scope of blame in mass shootings have used a novel legal strategy by arguing the parents are personally responsible for the deaths because they got their son a gun and ignored signs of his declining mental health.

Parents have previously faced liability for their child’s actions, such as with neglect or firearms charges, but Jennifer Crumbley’s guilty verdict was the first time a school shooter’s parent was held directly responsible for the killings.

Parents welcome verdict:

• Buck Myre, father of Tate Myre: “The gun is just a tool. So, we got to look at other things other than the gun. We gotta see what we can do to support these kids better," Myre said at a news conference. "We need to solve this because no parents should go through the hell we’re going through.”
• Steve St. Juliana, father of Hana St. Juliana, said mass shootings are the “number one killer of our kids,” and called for more action to be taken on the issue. "There is so much more that absolutely must be done — it’s crazy."

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Now that the parents of the Michigan school shooter have been found guilty, the father of victim Tate Myre said it's time to focus on the school's responsibility and hold the administration accountable.

“The gun is just a tool. So, we got to look at other things other than the gun. We gotta see what we can do to support these kids better," Buck Myre said Thursday night at a news conference. "We need to solve this because no parents should go through the hell we’re going through.”

He said the nation's "mental health crisis" was an issue that won't be easily solved.

"Our kids are not doing well these days," Myre said.

He suggested that the next step was holding the school accountable for his child's death.

"It's time for the school to pony up. It's time to break up that administration country club, and it's time for change. Because we've got four kids dead and nobody wants to take any accountability," Myre said. "That needs to start tomorrow."

CNN’s Sabrina Souza and Aaron Pellish contributed reporting.

This post has been updated with more of Myre's comments.

The father of one of the students killed in a shooting at Oxford High School said the conviction of the shooter and his parents are "just the beginning steps."

Steve St. Juliana said mass shootings are the “number one killer of our kids,” and called for more action to be taken on the issue. 

"There is so much more that absolutely must be done — it’s crazy," Juliana said at a news conference Thursday, following the conviction of James Crumbley.

His daughter, Hana St. Juliana, was one of four people killed. Ethan Crumbley is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of murder and 19 other charges related to the deadly rampage.

This was the first case in which a parent of a US school shooter was held directly responsible for the killings.

The post was updated with more of St. Juliana's comments.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald pointed to the "egregious facts" of the case, saying Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley's parents — James and Jennifer who are now both convicted — could have "prevented this tragedy, that was foreseeable, with just the smallest of efforts."

“They could have prevented this shooting, and saved these kids’ lives, and protected the hundreds of kids in the school that day, and all of the members of the Oxford community that it devastated, with just basic, reasonable, ordinary care," McDonald said.

She added that the conviction of the Crumbleys is not the end.

“The three prosecutions and convictions are critical,” McDonald said. “But we will not solve gun violence with these three prosecutions.”

This post has been updated with more details from the news conference.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald called the conviction of James Crumbley Thursday "important" and "critical."

But the prosecution will not solve gun violence, she said at a Thursday news conference.

Gun violence is "a public health crisis," said McDonald, arguing that the issue will not be addressed until it is treated as such.

"I refuse to take a victory lap with these prosecutions," McDonald said. "It will not bring back these kids. We have a lot more work to do."

The post and headline have been updated with more comments from the prosecutor.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald thanked the families of the students killed at Oxford High School, shortly after the father of the shooter was convicted of manslaughter.

“This verdict does not bring back their children, but it does mark a moment of accountability, and will hopefully be another step to address, and end, and prevent gun violence," she said at a news conference Thursday.

Justin Shilling, Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre and Madisyn Baldwin were killed in the shooting. Both of the gunman’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were found guilty on four counts, one for each of the victims. Jennifer Crumbley was convicted in February.

McDonald also thanked other attorneys in her office and law enforcement partners who she said were “devoted and dedicated” to the case.

Prosecutors are holding a news conference after a jury convicted James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley.

He was convicted on four counts of involuntary manslaughter — the same charges in the same jurisdiction that the shooter's mother, Jennifer Crumbley, was convicted of in February.

These are the first cases in the United States in which a jury found a parent guilty over a mass school shooting their child committed.

Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of a teenager who killed four students at a Michigan high school in 2021, and her attorney will not participate in interviews following the guilty conviction of her husband, James, on Thursday.

“We believe the victims, their families, and the community need and deserve the space and time to begin healing from this tragedy," Jennifer's attorney, Shannon Smith said in a statement.

James Crumbley’s failure to act led to the deaths of four children at Oxford High School, the county's prosecutor said after Crumbley was convicted on Thursday.

“Four children are dead because of the gross negligence of the shooter’s parents. In Michigan, a parent has a legal duty and James Crumbley did not meet that duty,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement after the verdict.

James Crumbley and the shooter's mother were both convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Each count was for each of the students killed in the shooting. 

"I know this verdict will not bring them back, but I hope it will serve as an example of the importance of holding those who enable gun violence accountable," she said.